Toronto Film Festival 2019 Reveals First Films Selected for Gala and Special Presentations

Films directed by Taika Waititi, Marielle Heller, James Mangold, Rian Johnson, Marjane Satrapi, John Crowley, Alejandro Amenábar, Thom Zimny & Bruce Springsteen, Atom Egoyan, Chinonye Chukwu, Kasi Lemmons, Noah Baumbach, Craig Brewer, Gabriela Cowperthwaite, Destin Daniel Cretton, Michael Winterbottom, Armando Iannucci, Steven Soderbergh, Todd Phillips, Lorene Scafaria, Fernando Meirelles, and Roger Michell are among the first round of titles selected for the Gala and Special Presentations programs at the 44th Toronto International Film Festival. This first batch of films from the 2019 Official Selection features 18 Galas and 38 Special Presentations.

“Some of the year’s biggest films will land in Toronto this September,” said Bailey, Co-Head and Artistic Director of TIFF. “We’re thrilled to unveil Galas and Special Presentations that bring the brightest lights in film to our Festival audience. Our new programming team has been hard at work for months to deliver the compelling stories, acclaimed filmmakers, and top onscreen talent that mark our two highest-profile sections.”

“I’m delighted to step into my first Festival as TIFF Co-Head to such a powerful slate of films,” said Vicente, Co-Head and Executive Director of TIFF. “Fast-paced, boundary-pushing, satirical – this lineup has films representing every corner of the cinematic landscape on top of a strong number of World Premieres. It’s a pleasure to be able to share these films with audiences for the first time.”

Of the Gala films announced today, 50% of titles are directed or co-directed by women – a record number for the program. This year’s selection also includes 29 World Premieres, six International Premieres, 13 North American Premieres, and eight Canadian Premieres.

The 44th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 5 to 15, 2019.

GALAS 2019

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Marielle Heller | USA
World Premiere

Abominable
Jill Culton | USA
World Premiere

American Woman
Semi Chellas | Canada
Canadian Premiere

Blackbird
Roger Michell | United Kingdom
World Premiere

Clemency
Chinonye Chukwu | USA
International Premiere

Ford v Ferrari
James Mangold | USA
Canadian Premiere

The Goldfinch
John Crowley | USA
World Premiere

Harriet
Kasi Lemmons | USA
World Premiere

Hustlers
Lorene Scafaria | USA
World Premiere

Joker
Todd Phillips | USA
North American Premiere

Just Mercy
Destin Daniel Cretton | USA
World Premiere

Opening Night Film
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band
Daniel Roher | Canada
World Premiere

Ordinary Love
Lisa Barros D’Sa, Glenn Leyburn | United Kingdom
World Premiere

Closing Night Film
Radioactive
Marjane Satrapi | United Kingdom
World Premiere

The Sky Is Pink
Shonali Bose | India
World Premiere

The Song of Names
François Girard | Canada
World Premiere

True History of the Kelly Gang
Justin Kurzel | Australia
World Premiere

Western Stars
Thom Zimny, Bruce Springsteen | USA
World Premiere

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS 2019

A Herdade
Tiago Guedes | Portugal
North American Premiere

Bad Education
Cory Finley | USA
World Premiere

Coming Home Again
Wayne Wang | USA/South Korea
World Premiere

Dolemite Is My Name
Craig Brewer | USA
World Premiere

Ema
Pablo Larraín | Chile
North American Premiere

Endings, Beginnings
Drake Doremus | USA
World Premiere

Frankie
Ira Sachs | France/Portugal
North American Premiere

The Friend
Gabriela Cowperthwaite | USA
World Premiere

Greed
Michael Winterbottom | United Kingdom
World Premiere

Guest of Honour
Atom Egoyan | Canada
North American Premiere

Heroic Losers (La odisea de los giles)
Sebastian Borensztein | Argentina/Spain
International Premiere

Honey Boy
Alma Har’el | USA
International Premiere

Hope Gap
William Nicholson | United Kingdom
World Premiere

How to Build a Girl
Coky Giedroyc | United Kingdom
World Premiere

Opening Special Presentations Film
I Am Woman
Unjoo Moon | Australia
World Premiere

Jojo Rabbit
Taika Waititi | USA
World Premiere

Judy
Rupert Goold | United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere

Knives Out
Rian Johnson | USA
World Premiere

La Belle Époque
Nicolas Bedos | France
North American Premiere

The Laundromat
Steven Soderbergh | USA
North American Premiere

The Lighthouse
Robert Eggers | USA
North American Premiere

Marriage Story
Noah Baumbach | USA
Canadian Premiere

Military Wives
Peter Cattaneo | United Kingdom
World Premiere

Motherless Brooklyn
Edward Norton | USA
International Premiere

No.7 Cherry
Lane Yonfan | Hong Kong
North American Premiere

The Other Lamb
Malgorzata Szumowska | Belgium/Ireland/USA
World Premiere

Pain and Glory
Pedro Almodóvar | Spain
Canadian Premiere

The Painted Bird
Václav Marhoul | Czech Republic/Ukraine/Slovakia
North American Premiere

Parasite (Gisaengchung)
Bong Joon-ho | South Korea
Canadian Premiere

Pelican Blood (Pelikanblut)
Katrin Gebbe | Germany/Bulgaria
North American Premiere

The Personal History of David Copperfield
Armando Iannucci | United Kingdom
World Premiere

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de la jeune fille en feu)
Céline Sciamma | France
Canadian Premiere

The Report
Scott Z. Burns | USA
International Premiere

Saturday Fiction (Lan Xin Da Ju Yuan)
Lou Ye | China
North American Premiere

The Two Popes
Fernando Meirelles | USA/United Kingdom/Italy/Argentina
Canadian Premiere

Uncut Gems
Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie | USA
International Premiere

Weathering With You
Makoto Shinkai | Japan
North American Premiere

While at War (Mientras Dure La Guerra)
Alejandro Amenábar | Spain/Argentina
World Premiere